ABC Cancels All My Children and One Life to Live

The reports are true: ABC has canceled All My Children and One Life to Live. Children will be abandoned in September, while One Life will die in January 2012. Both soaps are being replaced by health-related talk shows.

Upon hearing the news, Emmy winner Susan Lucci, who has starred on All My Children for the past four decades, released the following statement, It's been a fantastic journey. Ive loved playing Erica Kane and working with Agnes Nixon and all the incredible people involved with All My Children. Im looking forward to all kinds of new and exciting opportunities.

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In Children's place, ABC will slot The Chew, a one-hour live show centered on food and hosted by restaurateurs Mario Batali and Michael Symon, Top Chef's Carla Hall , What Not to Wear's Clinton Kelly and nutrition expert Daphne Oz. ABC says the Gordon Elliot (Paula's Home Cooking, Down Home with the Neelys) production will "focus on food from every angle — as a source of joy, health, family ritual, friendship, breaking news, dating, fitness, weight loss, travel adventures and life's moments." Sounds yummy, but is it as yummy as Children?

Read the early rumblings about these cancellations

Meanwhile, come January, The Revolution will take up the space left by One Life. That show will feature Project Runway's Tim Gunn, trainer Harley Pasternak and Kimberly Locke, who completed in the second season of American Idol. These hosts and a revolving pool of contributors will "help viewers transform all areas of their lives, from relationships to family, food, style, home design, finance and more," according to ABC's announcement. The Revolution will also include a different woman's five-month weight-loss story rolled out over the course of each week's new shows.
General Hospital now stands as the last remaining daytime drama on ABC. The cancellation of these soaps follows the axing of CBS' Guiding Light and As the World Turns in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Are you sad to see the shows go? What do you think about these new additions? Fair swaps for old favorites?